Door check



W. F. SNOWDON DOOR CHECK Filed Dec. 12, 1935 INVENTOR. M/flam/f''nawahmATTORNEY.

.....m...=. .h..=m. u m b k M m 3 MN iatentecl Dec. 8, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

The purpose of this invention is to simplify the construction of doorchecks in order to reduce the cost thereof without sacrificingefiiciency, and at the same time provide a door check that is efficientin its action, and which will withstand the severe conditions to whichsuch a device is subjected.

The invention is a door check formed of a tubular casing with springs, afriction retarding element, and a wedge therein in which one end of thecasing is pivotally held to the door frame and a rod extending from theother end is pivotally attached to the door, and the interior isarranged so that as the door opens the spring is readily compressed sothat it may be easily opened, and as the door is released the springautomatically closes the door and at the same time forces the wedge intothe friction element which bears against the inner surface of the 20casing retarding the closing of the door until the friction elementreaches an enlarged part of the casing at which time it is released sothat a gradual and positive final closing movement of the door isobtained, without danger of slamming, as the device is under adjustablecontrol, during the whole closing movement.

The object of the invention is, therefore, to simplify the constructionof door checks to such an extent that they are practical for use onsubstantially any door.

Another object is to provide a combination spring and friction doorcheck in which the friction may readily be adjusted.

Another object is to provide a door check having a spring element inwhich the compression of springs therein may readily be adjusted fromthe exterior of the casing.

And a further object is to provide a combination spring and frictiondoor check which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these ends in view the invention embodies a tubular casing with anenlarged end, with a door frame connection at the large end and a doorconnection at the opposite end, a rod extending from the door connectioninto the casing, springs on the rod, a wedge also on the rod, a frictionelement acted upon by said wedge and adapted to hold against theinterior of the casing, means adjusting the relation of the wedge to thefriction element from the exterior of the casing, and means adjustingthe compression of the springs.

Other features and advantages of the inventionwill appear .from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein-Figure 1 is a View showing a longitudinal section through the casingwith parts shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a similar view with parts broken away and with the frictionelement drawn partly through the casing by the opening movement of thedoor.

Figure 3 is also a similar view showing a part, only, of the casing,with the friction element as it would appear as the door is closing.

Figure 4 is a View showing a cross section through the friction elementand wedge.

Figure 5 is a detail showing a bracket for holding one end of the casingto the door frame.

Figure 6 is a detail showing a longer bracket for attaching the oppositeend of the device to the door.

Figure 7 is a view of applicants device applied to a door.

Figure 8 is a plan view showing an alternate design in which one end ofthe casing is attached to the door jamb.

In the drawing the door check is shown as it may be made wherein numeralI indicates the casing, numeral 2 a bracket for attaching one end of thedevice to a door frame, and numeral 3 a bracket for attaching theopposite end of the device to a door.

The casing I is formed with an enlarged portion 4 at one end having aclosure 5 with a road 6, having an eye I at the outer end, fixedlymounted therein and extending from the end of the casing. The eye isplaced over a pin 8 on the bracket 2 which is fixedly attached to thedoor frame 9 by screws Ill, and the eye may be held on the pin by acotter pin or the like, II. A cap 12 forming a spring controller isthreaded on the opposite end of the casing and a head I3 is held in theend of the cap by screws [4 forming a closure and also a seat for thesprings 15 and It. The springs are positioned around a sleeve l1slidable on a rod 18, one end of which is pivotally attached, through aneye on the end thereof to a pin l9 on the bracket 3, and the other endof which is attached to a wedge in the friction element which is formedby two semi-circular segments 2| and 22. These friction elements may bemade of Wood or any suitable material. The bracket 3 is attached to therear portion of a door 23 by screws 24 and the eye, which is indicatedby the numeral 25, is held .by a pin 26. The outer end of the sleeve I1is threaded and provided with a slot 21 and pins 28 and 29, mounted inthe rod l8 extend into the slot at both sides and engage the sides of aknurled or milled nut 30 screwed on the sleeve, and it will be notedthat as this nut is turned it screws back and forth on the sleeve andmoves the sleeve lengthwise on the rod thereby adjusting the position ofthe friction element in relation to the wedge.

The friction element is positioned in the enlarged portion of the casingwhen the door is closed and the wedge 20 is formed or pinned on the rodI8, and with the members in the position shown in Figure 1 the wedge hasbeen freed from the elements as the friction elements or segments 2| and22 have moved outward into the enlarged part of the casing. A lightspring 3| is provided at the inner end of the rod IS with one endengaging a plate 32 at the end of the friction element and the otherresting against a plate 33 held on the end of the rod by a pin 34. Asthe door is opened the wedge 20 is withdrawn and moves forward and thesegments 2| and 22, which are located in relation to each other by pins35 and 38 extending from the segment 2| into openings in the segment 22,will be crowded inward by the smaller diameter of the casing, howeverthe parts will travel freely during the opening movement of the door.This movement also compresses the springs I5 and I6, one end of whichbears against the head of the cap and the inner ends of which bearagainst a plate 31 held by a pin 38 in the rod extending through slots39 in the sleeve, and as soon as the door is released the frictionelement moves up on the wedge and the inclined surfaces of the wedgewill act against the similarly inclined surfaces 40 and 4| of thesegments 2| and 22, thereby forcing the segments against the innersurface of the casing and retarding the closing of the door. The amountof friction may be regulated by a member 42 on the inner end of thesleeve H which engages the ends of the segments 2| and 22 and theposition of this memher is adjusted by the nut 30. The compression ofthe springs may be adjusted by screwing the cap I 2 back and forth onthe casing.

In Figure 8 the device is placed on the outside of the door, and theouter end of the rod I8 is pivotally attached to the door jamb by thelong bracket 3, and it will be noted that as the door opens and closesthe action of this device will be similar to that of the arrangementshown in Figures 1 and 3.

I am aware that mechanically produced friction has been used to retardthe closing movement of a hinged door therefore, I do not claim such adevice broadly, but what I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is:-

I. In a door check of the type having a tubular casing with a frictionelement and springs therein, and in which one end is attached to thedoor and the other to the door frame, two segments forming the bearingsurfaces of the friction element, a wedge positioned between saidsegments and by which they are forced outwardly, and means for adjustingthe compression of the springs from the exterior of the casing, saidcasing having an enlarged portion providing means for releasing saidfriction element as the door closes.

2. In a door check as described in claim 1, means on the exterior of thecasing for adjusting the friction of said friction element.

3. A door check comprising a tubular casing having an enlarged end, afriction element comprising two segments slidable in said casing, awedge positioned between said segments adapted to hold said segmentsagainst the inner surface of the casing during the closing movement of adoor upon which the device is mounted until the element reaches theenlarged end of the casing, and means operating said wedge and elementsfrom the exterior of the casing.

4. A door check of the type having a tubular casing with one endattached to the door frame and the other to the door, said casing havingan enlarged inner end, a cap threaded on the opposite end of the casing,a head in said cap forming a closure for the casing, a sleeve slidablein an opening in the center of said head, a rod slidable in said sleevehaving an eye at the outer end thereof, a bracket adapted to be attachedto a door having a pin over which said eye is positioned, a wedgefixedly mounted on the inner end of said rod, friction segments havinginclined inner surfaces corresponding with the surfaces of said wedgepositioned about the wedge, means for adjusting the position of thesegments in relation to the wedge from the exterior of the casing,resilient means resisting the opening of the door and urging saidsegments and wedge toward the enlarged end of the casing, and meansattaching the enlarged end of the casing to the frame of the door.

5. A door check as described in claim 4, in which the resilient meanscomprises springs positioned in the casing and about said sleeve.

6. A door check as described in claim 4 in which the segment adjustingmeans comprises a member on the inner end of the said sleeve engagingthe ends of the segments, and a nut threaded on the outer end of saidsleeve positioned between two pins in the rod extending through slots inthe sleeve.

7. A door check as described in claim 4 in which the resilient meanscomprises two springs, one positioned inside of the other and bothacting against a head in the outer end of the casing and a plateadjacent the friction element and held by a pin mounted in the rod andextending through slots in the sleeve.

8. A door check as described in claim 4 in which the friction segmentsare made of wood.

9. A door check having in combination a spring for urging a door towardthe closed position and a friction element for retarding the closingmovement of the door, in which the friction element comprises aplurality of members having inclined inner surfaces and a spreadingmember adapted to force the surrounding plurality of members against theinner surface of a surrounding casing, means releasing said plurality ofmembers as the door closes, and means for adjusting the compression ofthe springs from the exterior of the casing.

10. In a door check of the type having a tubular casing with a frictionelement and springs therein, and in which one end is attached to thedoor and the other to the door frame, 'two segments forming the bearingsurfaces of the friction element, a wedge mounted on a rod extending outof the casing and positioned between the segments, and means foradjusting the compression of the springs from the exterior of thecasing, said casing having an enlarged portion providing means forreleasing said friction element as the door closes and said rodextending from the casing to provide means for attaching the casing to'adoor.

WILLIAM F. SNOWDON.

